Stumbling in the dark of an unfinished tomb beneath the sands of Saqqara, Tim Hope discovers a doorway that opens into ancient Egypt, a time before the Sphinx, before the great pyramids of Giza, and long before the loss of his beloved Addy. Hoping to forget his past, Tim immerses himself in the ancient world and soon learns that two other Americans have preceded him through the time portal. While searching for them Tim finds himself feeling at home in the simpler, more immediate land and irresistibly attracted to the delicate Meryt, a wbt-priestess for the god Re. As he learns more about King Djoser and the seven-year famine that has gripped Egypt, Tim discovers that his fate, the hopes of the two Americans and the future of Egypt rest in the hands of the legendary Imhotep, master architect of the Step Pyramid, renowned physician and intimate advisor to King Djoser.